Hindsight
by DarkandtwistyGirl
Summary: Set in season 6. Dave finds himself flat on his back in the ambulance bay, and in hindsight he realises that he really should have heeded Dr Greene's warning. *Complete*


** Disclaimer: I do not own ER, or any characters thereof. This is just for fun.**

**Hope you all enjoy this little fic! **

* * *

Emergency medicine resident, Dave Malucci had just finished up his shift in the busy County General emergency department, and was heading home to bed, little did he know that his day had barely begun.

It was winter, and not for the first time there were patches of black ice on many of Chicago's roads that day.

Dave climbed onto his bike and headed off; he had barely gone ten metres when an ambulance that was coming into the bay slid on the icy road, directly into the young resident.

* * *

"I don't see how it makes any difference, Peter, the patient should never have been moved," Meanwhile, ER attending Mark Greene and trauma fellow Peter Benton were having a heated discussion regarding a patient's care, as they walked out to meet an incoming ambulance.

Before Dr Benton had a chance to respond, they were interrupted by a sudden screech of brakes, screaming, and a loud crash as the incoming ambulance slipped on a patch of black ice at the entrance to the bay, slamming into Dr Malucci, throwing him from his bike, and colliding with a departing ambulance before coming to a rough halt as both vehicles hit the building with a crunch.

For a moment the world stood still, before everyone leapt into action. Mark called out to a nurse how had been outside smoking when the accident occurred, "Kris, go get us gurneys, c-collars, and backboards, set up trauma one and two exam two, and curtain three."

Peter headed towards the ambulances, while Mark went to where Dave lay in a snow drift.

* * *

For the paramedic Orbes and her partner Zadro and their patient, eighty nine year old Gretel Francis, the accident was quite minor, though it did shake them.

The paramedics were still in shock when Peter leant in the broken passenger window, "Alright, just hang tight guys, and we'll get you out as soon as we can. Are either of you hurt?"

"Think I'm good, doc," Zadro replied.

Orbes was about to answer the same, then she realized her arm was hurting, she looked down to see that her right arm was bleeding. "I think my arm's busted up."

"What's the status of your patient?"

"Eighty-nine year old female, been admitted for twelve days following hip fracture, we were transferring her back to the nursing home. I'll check her out," Zadro said.

Peter was quick to stop the medic from moving, "Whoa, whoa, you stay still, I'll check on your patient. We'll get you out as soon as we can get these doors open."

* * *

The second ambulance held a trauma patient, who was rushed into trauma one as Benton checked on the medics. Pickman had been in back with their patient, she had been thrown around in the accident; two nurses helped Peter get her onto a backboard, he intubated her before handing the injured medic off to a resident. Pickman's partner, Jefferies had sustained only minor lacerations.

* * *

Mark rushed to Dave's side, he attempted to rouse the injured resident, "Dave, hey you with me? Come on, wake up." When his first attempt failed, Mark applied pressure to Dave's sternum, eliciting a groan from the young resident, "Take it easy, Dave."

Dave attempted to sit up, but Mark was quick to gently, yet firmly get him back on the ground. Mark put his hands on either side of Dave's head, stabilizing his neck, as he told Dave, "You got knocked off your bike, Malucci. Stay down, we'll get you on a backboard, and we'll take you inside, make sure you're okay. Have you got any pain?"

Dave was in shock, adrenaline coursing through his system, he wasn't feeling any pain, he had been thrown nearly five metres by the impact, and had sustained numerous injuries, even though the accident occurred at low speed. He continued to fight against Mark's restraint.

Mark could see as he glanced over Dave that he was guarding his left flank, as well as keeping his right arm tight against his torso, his left leg was bent at an unnatural angle at his knee, and he was bleeding profusely from a head lac. Mark called out with urgency to Peter, "Peter, I'm going to need you over here."

"I've got to check on the medic, page me when you need me."

Mark nodded in acknowledgement. "Dave, I need you to focus. Where is your pain?" Mark pressed, anything to keep him awake and talking.

"...Guess I shoulda listened to you, boss," Dave mumbled, barely coherent.

"Sorry, Dave, what was that?"

"Shoulda listened to you, never had more than road rash, guess I screwed up this time. How bad?"

"Not sure yet, just hang in there a few more minutes, we'll get you inside and check you out," Mark said as Chuny and Malik finally brought over a backboard and cervical collar. Mark accepted the collar, and carefully secured it around Dave's neck. "Okay. Chuny, Malik, get that backboard in, I'll support the head, we'll roll on three. One... Two... Three."

They gently rolled Dave onto his side to slide in the backboard underneath him. "Hey, easy. Bleeding here," Dave complained.

Then things started to happen much faster, a gurney was brought over, and together they lifted Dave; he was then rushed into trauma.

* * *

Lucy Knight, a medical student was just finishing up suturing a teenager who came off his skateboard, when the gurney carrying Dave was rushed past.

"Ah, nurse can you dress this?"

"No worries. An ambulance skidded in the bay, three major, four minors, I'm sure they'll have something for you to do," The nurse replied, taking over dressing the minor injury.

* * *

The trauma room was a hive of activity, as the staff worked to assess Dave's injuries.

"What can I do?" Lucy asked her attending.

"Ms Knight," Mark acknowledged the student. He decided then that seeing as Dave had failed to take his advice firstly to wear a helmet, secondly to be careful, and he seemed pretty stable, they could have a few lighthearted moments. "Dave here collided with an ambulance out in the bay, suspected fractures to right clavicle, ulna and radius, dislocated left patella, possible fractured tibia, scalp laceration and contusion, crit is dropping, we're getting a CT to check for bleeding, but it is a safe guess that he will be going to the OR. How about you go right ahead and put in a foley?"

Unaware that it was one of the residents on the gurney, Lucy stepped up alongside where Dr Benton was inserting a central line, ready to assist by performing the minor task. She lined up the tray brought over by a nurse, still not having seen who the patient was, then she went to introduce herself to the patient, and let him know what she was doing, and she was the one left shocked, "Sir, my name is-" Lucy stopped mid sentence, she nearly dropped the foley catheter she was in the middle of lubricating, when she saw the patient, "Dave?"

Dave had been fighting the staff since he was brought in, wanting to be let off of the backboard, his fight had only doubled when he had heard that they were putting in a foley, "...no way! No one's messing around down there, you hear me?"

Mark leant over so that Dave could see him, "You never seemed to have a problem with a woman's touch before, Dave."

"Not the same," Dave replied, trying to laugh, but being stopped by the pain.

Calming herself, Lucy took Dave's uninjured hand in hers, "Dr Dave, we are going to do everything we can to help you, but you need to stay with us okay? Just take deep breaths and I'll talk you through it."

Dave finally relaxed, "Just try not to kill me, okay guys."

Dr Benton laughed, "You'll be okay, Malucci."

Lucy turned her full attention to her work, trying to remain professional, "Okay Dave, I've checked the foley balloon, and lubricated. Holding the penis in my left hand, ready to insert..."

Dave tensed as the tip of the catheter was inserted, "Yeah, oww."

* * *

They were nearly ready to move Dave up to the OR, when his blood pressure bottomed out. Mark had left to assess the medics and their patient, Lucy was assisting Malik to stabilize the extremity fractures in temporary splints, while Dr Benton had been looking at the scans.

* * *

Just minutes earlier Peter was standing near the head of the trauma gurney, reviewing the CT scans. As he worked, Peter read out the scan results for Dave's benefit, "Head CT is negative for bleeding or fractures. Spinal series is clear, Chuny go ahead and take him off the backboard. There is a moderate amount of blood surrounding the left lobe of the liver, no other signs of abdominal trauma."

"So, not so bad," Dave surmised.

"We'll have you back here, irritating everyone in six to eight weeks."

Dave felt himself slipping, struggling to stay awake, he heard the monitors screeching, then everything went black.

* * *

"He's crashing!" Everyone jumped to action as the room filled with the sounds of alarms.

"Damn it!" Peter swore. "Lucy recheck the abdomen, he may have blown a clot."

Lucy pulled over the ultrasound without pause, and began to recheck the liver injury, searching for the source of the bleed.

Peter meanwhile moved to intubate, after he placed the tube, he realized the problem, "He's got a tracheal shift to the right... PEA... Malik start chest compressions. Set me up for a chest tube. Push lidocaine and epi. Have the paddles ready, Ms Knight get ready to shock him."

* * *

Dave didn't know where he was at first, he was aware only of the pain and dull sounds of voices around him, he almost thought that he was a child again and was on the floor of his bedroom following another beating. Then he became aware that this wasn't his room, he was in hospital, there was a breathing tube in his throat, another thick tube down his nose, his chest and stomach ached, as did his right arm and left leg.

He started to remember, he'd been getting off work, there was something about the ambulance bay, his bike.

"Dave, you back with us?" Mark was waiting at his bedside; they'd been unable to find any family, he didn't deserve to wake up alone in the hospital.

Dave cautiously opened his eyes. "Dr Greene? What happened?"

"You were knocked off of your bike by an ambulance. What's the last thing I remember?"

"Um, getting off work. How bad is it?"

"You're stable, but it was touch and go for awhile. Tension pneumothorax on the right side, you've lost the left lobe of your liver, there's a mild concussion, fractured right clavicle, radius and ulna, and the left patella was dislocated. You should be up and about in no time."

"First time I've had more than road rash."

"How many times have you been hit?"

"This makes four times."

"Hell of a way to break that little record, Malucci. May I suggest that you start looking both ways."

* * *

_**The End. **_

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